Anybody onboard currently?

[DaveA]

16 hours ago, DS said:

We've often used the TV to view menus on Quest (and Journey).   But can't do it on Pursuit, as they don't have the intereactive TV.... used to have a smartphone app, but that has gone by the wayside--- so can't see account or menu's or ...   WHAT DOES ONWARD HAVE???

Onward has a pretty useless interactive TV system - no account or menu viewing and no shore excursion viewing or booking.

Edited August 8, 2022 by DaveA

[Scots Caz]

7 minutes ago, DaveA said:

Onward has a pretty useless interactive TV system - no account or menu viewing and no shore excursion viewing or booking.

I was on Onward in June and was able to view my account on the TV (used it to track what OBC I still had left to spend :-))

[DaveA]

2 minutes ago, Scots Caz said:

I was on Onward in June and was able to view my account on the TV (used it to track what OBC I still had left to spend :-))

Oops, sorry,  I misremembered. I'm sure I'm right about the lack of menus and shorex though.

[uktog]

1 hour ago, PAtravelbug said:

Hi all.  We are off the ship.  So sad.   Easy disembarkation. Windows open at 6am for breakfast and you have to be out of your room by 8am and off the ship by 9am.  We walked off the ship, down an escalator, picked up our bags and walked out the door.  No fuss like in some places with customs and immigration.  

 

Getting a taxi was easy despite what the departure paper work from the hotel said.  We have a hotel (Hampton) out by the airport for the next few days. The ship also said that the airport cost by taxi would be 40 euros. It was 80 euros.  Lovely driver.   

 

Shockingly, for the second time this trip, we were about to check into our hotel room before 9am!     Unheard of at home - except occasionally in Las Vegas where I travel to for work a good bit. 

 

We are having 2nd breakfast, enjoying fast internet and think we will take a day trip out of the area - the train station is right next to our hotel.

 

Take me with you - as to comparision wtih our dec 10 to 23, 2022 cruise on Quest  - Wines -  Not as good.  Not terrible - but all are branded with the Azamara logo - It used to be that each day there was a selection of wines for that day - might be from Chile, or Australia, or France, etc.  Now they are all the same every day. We settle on a french cabaret for red and a pino Grigio for white from time to time.  But they are not Bordeaux!

 

In december, there were covid protocals in place.  Free testing, mandatory mask wearing, no mixing outside the travel parties, chairs in cabaret and all the restaurants were rearranged for maximum distancing.    This time - no testing at all, and the crew was in masks.  That was it.  After day 5, when covid started to become a problem, we were requested to wear masks in doors, to not mix the travel parties and masks were mandatory on tour buses.  And, they added a show to spread us out when a local group came aboard the day after the big spike in case.   The whole next week, the cases came down and the last 3 days were 1  case each and none(reported) yesterday.   I noticed that masks were no longer mandatory on the tour buses in Amsterdam.      So we stared the majority without masks, and ended the majority IN masks.  

 

UKtog has talk about the attendant change - we had asked ours on the first day when we only saw one name card on the desk and explained.   he was great, but not often seen.

 

Service is, as always, excellent. There ARE a lot of new crew and we saw that through out the voyage as they were integrated into the crew.  Once waiter, Jansey from Brazil , came out of quartentine after joining the ship in Dublin with us, after 5 days - a bit dazed for a few days - but was getting the hang of it last night.

 

We only took one tour through the ship, The Flam Railway.  Honestly, we could of skipped that.     It was fine.  LOTS of time on the bus. Then a train. Then the Flam. Then lots of time on a bus. But the scenery from the bus was stunning, even with 90 kilometers total of it being in tunnels! The tour guide was very good.  

 

Cruise director Amanda and Assit - Justin - were good and have good chemistry.  Justin was newly the DJ and activities host on our December cruise, but sung with the performers a few times.  Now he is clearly a very  happy man finding is place, fine tuning his show and his bad jokes (he makes puns). 

 

There were more destination focused things like special foods picked up that day or the day before and prepared for us.   3 separate local acts brought on board.  Not as much of that on a more general cruise like in December.  

 

White Night in full day light the whole time is different!  The sun sets late in Norway.

 

The entertainment shows were good. The singers and dancers are a different cast than in December but with the same shows - but very well done. Very sharp and clean. And they have been aboard for 4 months.   Jacob - the violin player from december was back, and just as good.    a new piano player.singer in the den and a new party band - both good. 

 

we had only 2 sea days - one at each end of the voyage.  On the 2nd one, there was a special brunch in discoveries from 10 am to 1pm. This was the only time we set foot in discoveries.  It was very well done (of course) - and the night after White Night. 

 

Ryzard did a presentation of the time on the Pursuit from March 3 to March 29, 2022.  Very  interesting about how the cruise halt built up and how they handled it.  Lots of logistics and stories about it. He working on a 2nd presentation about the restart and getting the crew back, and what they did to survive during the lay off.

 

Of course, it was a wonderful trip. Lots of familiar faces on the crew.     Godson has been promoted to head waiter (along with tall Vishal) - and will start next cruise.   🙂

 

That's all for now.  I have to do some research about what to do today.    I do hear that the Amsterdam airport is pretty bad these days - used to be a lovely airport - long long lines. So we will go very early on Thursday when we fly back.  The cab driver said that on Saturday, the lines when outside of the airport and down the walk!    

 

Next for us is Onward in December!

 

Travel well,  Allison

 

 

A great assessment of the cruise. 
 

There are a lot of new staff and whilst before there was extensive familiarisation and training onboard before they were “let loose” on guests that’s a corner that’s been cut as far as I can see. That will give service issues I’m sure. 
 

You were right about the mask behaviour.   On our cheese making excursion yesterday people on the tour were still wearing masks but I noticed a much more “who cares” attitude amongst some last night who seemed to say no need to be responsible at the end of the cruise. 
 

I was surprised when there was concern about the outbreak that some guests sat mask less talking and laughing on bar stools whilst nursing a pint. One couple seemed almost proud to be using this interpretation to get round the Captain’s legitimate request. I don’t think it’s fair to expose bar staff in that way during a mini outbreak and I thought it selfish on the part of the guests particularly when there  plenty of seats available in the Den. 
 

We ate a few times in the main dining room. The service ranged from first class to not great. Likewise we’d two meals where we didn’t like the cooking (duck breast was so tough as was our prime rib) but otherwise we did enjoy someone cooking for us and looking after us. 
 

For those wondering about dress code, technically it was adhered to in most cases. There was much more wearing of jeans at night even on non excursion days - some ladies had very pretty jeans on others less so and some men had what I’d call working jeans not smarter ones on - just an observation please no hi-jacking  the  thread but it might help others plan 

[wjfan417]

2 hours ago, PAtravelbug said:

Hi all.  We are off the ship.  So sad.   Easy disembarkation. Windows open at 6am for breakfast and you have to be out of your room by 8am and off the ship by 9am.  We walked off the ship, down an escalator, picked up our bags and walked out the door.  No fuss like in some places with customs and immigration.  

 

Getting a taxi was easy despite what the departure paper work from the hotel said.  We have a hotel (Hampton) out by the airport for the next few days. The ship also said that the airport cost by taxi would be 40 euros. It was 80 euros.  Lovely driver.   

 

Shockingly, for the second time this trip, we were about to check into our hotel room before 9am!     Unheard of at home - except occasionally in Las Vegas where I travel to for work a good bit. 

 

We are having 2nd breakfast, enjoying fast internet and think we will take a day trip out of the area - the train station is right next to our hotel.

 

Take me with you - as to comparision wtih our dec 10 to 23, 2022 cruise on Quest  - Wines -  Not as good.  Not terrible - but all are branded with the Azamara logo - It used to be that each day there was a selection of wines for that day - might be from Chile, or Australia, or France, etc.  Now they are all the same every day. We settle on a french cabaret for red and a pino Grigio for white from time to time.  But they are not Bordeaux!

 

In december, there were covid protocals in place.  Free testing, mandatory mask wearing, no mixing outside the travel parties, chairs in cabaret and all the restaurants were rearranged for maximum distancing.    This time - no testing at all, and the crew was in masks.  That was it.  After day 5, when covid started to become a problem, we were requested to wear masks in doors, to not mix the travel parties and masks were mandatory on tour buses.  And, they added a show to spread us out when a local group came aboard the day after the big spike in case.   The whole next week, the cases came down and the last 3 days were 1  case each and none(reported) yesterday.   I noticed that masks were no longer mandatory on the tour buses in Amsterdam.      So we stared the majority without masks, and ended the majority IN masks.  

 

UKtog has talk about the attendant change - we had asked ours on the first day when we only saw one name card on the desk and explained.   he was great, but not often seen.

 

Service is, as always, excellent. There ARE a lot of new crew and we saw that through out the voyage as they were integrated into the crew.  Once waiter, Jansey from Brazil , came out of quartentine after joining the ship in Dublin with us, after 5 days - a bit dazed for a few days - but was getting the hang of it last night.

 

We only took one tour through the ship, The Flam Railway.  Honestly, we could of skipped that.     It was fine.  LOTS of time on the bus. Then a train. Then the Flam. Then lots of time on a bus. But the scenery from the bus was stunning, even with 90 kilometers total of it being in tunnels! The tour guide was very good.  

 

Cruise director Amanda and Assit - Justin - were good and have good chemistry.  Justin was newly the DJ and activities host on our December cruise, but sung with the performers a few times.  Now he is clearly a very  happy man finding is place, fine tuning his show and his bad jokes (he makes puns). 

 

There were more destination focused things like special foods picked up that day or the day before and prepared for us.   3 separate local acts brought on board.  Not as much of that on a more general cruise like in December.  

 

White Night in full day light the whole time is different!  The sun sets late in Norway.

 

The entertainment shows were good. The singers and dancers are a different cast than in December but with the same shows - but very well done. Very sharp and clean. And they have been aboard for 4 months.   Jacob - the violin player from december was back, and just as good.    a new piano player.singer in the den and a new party band - both good. 

 

we had only 2 sea days - one at each end of the voyage.  On the 2nd one, there was a special brunch in discoveries from 10 am to 1pm. This was the only time we set foot in discoveries.  It was very well done (of course) - and the night after White Night. 

 

Ryzard did a presentation of the time on the Pursuit from March 3 to March 29, 2022.  Very  interesting about how the cruise halt built up and how they handled it.  Lots of logistics and stories about it. He working on a 2nd presentation about the restart and getting the crew back, and what they did to survive during the lay off.

 

Of course, it was a wonderful trip. Lots of familiar faces on the crew.     Godson has been promoted to head waiter (along with tall Vishal) - and will start next cruise.   🙂

 

That's all for now.  I have to do some research about what to do today.    I do hear that the Amsterdam airport is pretty bad these days - used to be a lovely airport - long long lines. So we will go very early on Thursday when we fly back.  The cab driver said that on Saturday, the lines when outside of the airport and down the walk!    

 

Next for us is Onward in December!

 

Travel well,  Allison

 

 

Train from airport into Amsterdam is very easy. You can buy 2-3 day transport tickets that include airport train and trams/metros/buses in the city from machines in the airport train station.

 

Diana

[PAtravelbug]

5 hours ago, wjfan417 said:

Train from airport into Amsterdam is very easy. You can buy 2-3 day transport tickets that include airport train and trams/metros/buses in the city from machines in the airport train station.

 

Diana

we did it today. We are staying out at the Hoopdoorf station and wanted to get to Haarlem. We took to the train to Amsterdam and then changed to get to Haarlem which was about 15 minutes.    There were some challenges at the start with a change of track, and then a change back but announced in Dutch (which we missed) but we found our way.  Haarlem was lovely. The church is jaw dropping.   We enjoyed the smaller city and less people.  I don't think my dad was impressed with Amsterdam!     We had a nice lunch in a cafe in the shadow of the Church and then went inside an spent 90 minutes in there.  There was an organist practicing the 5000 pipe organ that Mozart played at the age of 10.    We made it back unscathed though faced a VERY packed train on the transfer because we stopped at the airport stop.     We are feeling brave now, and will try another place tomorrow.

 

Regarding dress, I dressed more casually than on previous cruises.  In general, it was chilly and we were very active at the ports. No lying around the ship in lounge chairs. So, sometimes, I didn't change for dinner, which I always did on warm weather cruises.   Sometimes, I did.  But we were always in windows and often sat out on the sunset deck under the heaters. 

[So Cal John]

15 hours ago, uktog said:

For those wondering about dress code, technically it was adhered to in most cases.

Heading to Amsterdam in a month for 11 nights on Pursuit. First time on Azamara. Just want to double check what you said about dress code. You said adhered to vice enforced.  I interpret that as meaning the guests followed the dress code for the most part.  Do you think anyone was asked to try again?

 

We generally change for dinner. But with luggage concerns, we are going to try to go mostly carry-on and check one bag. So we are cutting out extra attire.  (But for some reason I feel compelled to have a pair of white pants for one a single event).

 

Thanks

[AJCM]

16 hours ago, wjfan417 said:

Train from airport into Amsterdam is very easy. You can buy 2-3 day transport tickets that include airport train and trams/metros/buses in the city from machines in the airport train station.

 

Diana

Hi Diana

 

Our flight in lands at 8.00pm. Do you know if it’s easy to get a taxi to our hotel at Central Station?

 

Thanks

Tony

[uktog]

2 hours ago, So Cal John said:

Heading to Amsterdam in a month for 11 nights on Pursuit. First time on Azamara. Just want to double check what you said about dress code. You said adhered to vice enforced.  I interpret that as meaning the guests followed the dress code for the most part.  Do you think anyone was asked to try again?

 

We generally change for dinner. But with luggage concerns, we are going to try to go mostly carry-on and check one bag. So we are cutting out extra attire.  (But for some reason I feel compelled to have a pair of white pants for one a single event).

 

Thanks

I did not see anyone being turned away but maybe it happened maybe it did not 

[PAtravelbug]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

I did not see anyone being turned away but maybe it happened maybe it did not 

The attire required is basic.  No pool wear in the living room after 6pm  - per the sign at the door, and no ripped jeans or shorts in discoveries.  That leaves a LOT of wiggle room. 

[uktog]

49 minutes ago, PAtravelbug said:

The attire required is basic.  No pool wear in the living room after 6pm  - per the sign at the door, and no ripped jeans or shorts in discoveries.  That leaves a LOT of wiggle room. 

Indeed it does

There were examples where this was not met - no big deal to me but I know it is for some and I often wonder is the non compliance someone deliberately challenging the norms 

Edited August 9, 2022 by uktog

[Dudeljo]

5 hours ago, AJCM said:

Hi Diana

 

Our flight in lands at 8.00pm. Do you know if it’s easy to get a taxi to our hotel at Central Station?

 

Thanks

Tony

At the airport there are a lot of taxis. Taxis in Holland are very expensive. (about 40 EURO) There is also a train going directly from the airport to Central Station. (about 5 EURO per person) In the evenings there are 11 trains every hour.  If your hotel is nearby, probably you can walk or take a taxi from the station to your hotel. 

[wjfan417]

5 hours ago, AJCM said:

Hi Diana

 

Our flight in lands at 8.00pm. Do you know if it’s easy to get a taxi to our hotel at Central Station?

 

Thanks

Tony

It should be. We took a tram to our hotel from Central Station.

 

Diana

[laurieb]

Corkage fee on Quest is still 10.00.  No idea why it was 15.00 on the Journey.

[Nippy Sweetie]

3 hours ago, uktog said:

Indeed it does

There were examples where this was not met - no big deal to me but I know it is for some and I often wonder is the non compliance someone deliberately challenging the norms 

I wonder about that too. It seems almost aggressive and certainly rude to others who do make the very small effort and also to the staff who have worked hard to produce and serve the meal. 

[excitedofharpenden]

Just a word on the attire. Whilst there are some who may try to push the envelope, in all my cruises on Azamara I have never had an issue with what people have been wearing. The vast majority will dress appropriate to what Azamara request. It's one of the reasons I like the line so much. You can choose to dress up if you want to and you won't feel out of place, but generally it's relaxed and comfy. 

 

Phil 

[Mackdogmolly]

5 hours ago, PAtravelbug said:

The attire required is basic.  No pool wear in the living room after 6pm  - per the sign at the door, and no ripped jeans or shorts in discoveries.  That leaves a LOT of wiggle room. 

On our Quest cruise this summer, a member of our party wearing shorts was asked to change before being admitted to Discoveries for dinner.

[yogagal47]

1 hour ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Just a word on the attire. Whilst there are some who may try to push the envelope, in all my cruises on Azamara I have never had an issue with what people have been wearing. The vast majority will dress appropriate to what Azamara request. It's one of the reasons I like the line so much. You can choose to dress up if you want to and you won't feel out of place, but generally it's relaxed and comfy. 

 

Phil 

On our journey cruise this past June a man in Discoveries was sent away for not having proper attire. I cannot remember exactly what he had on but I think he may have been either in Jeans or wearing shorts.

[excitedofharpenden]

4 minutes ago, yogagal47 said:

On our journey cruise this past June a man in Discoveries was sent away for not having proper attire. I cannot remember exactly what he had on but I think he may have been either in Jeans or wearing shorts.

Normal jeans are fine in the MDR, but shorts aren't so it was probably the latter. It's good to see them enforcing that policy. I've never witnessed anyone being turned away for non-compliance, but I guess it happens from time to time. 

 

Phil 

[tgg]

4 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Normal jeans are fine in the MDR, but shorts aren't so it was probably the latter. It's good to see them enforcing that policy. I've never witnessed anyone being turned away for non-compliance, but I guess it happens from time to time. 

 

Phil 

Someone on our March 2022 Quest cruise was asked to change from shorts to long pants. He seemed surprised but didn't make a fuss.

[royallondon]

1 hour ago, tgg said:

Someone on our March 2022 Quest cruise was asked to change from shorts to long pants. He seemed surprised but didn't make a fuss.

Yes, the staff are very tactful 😜

[travelberlin]

16 hours ago, uktog said:

I did not see anyone being turned away but maybe it happened maybe it did not 

I did see a family in a South American itinerary being turned away at dinner time in the restaurant because they were wearing simple sandals called Hawaianas.

 

Ivi

 

[Port Power]

2 hours ago, travelberlin said:

I did see a family in a South American itinerary being turned away at dinner time in the restaurant because they were wearing simple sandals called Hawaianas.

 

Ivi

 

Yes, thongs/flip flops have never been appropriate footwear for dinner in any MDR.

[So Cal John]

It all sounds very similar to our Celebrity experiences.

 

Regarding taxis in Amsterdam, I read an article recently about getting from the airport into town.  Be sure to use the taxis at the taxi queue. Do not take a taxi ride from someone who approaches you outside asking if you want a taxi.  They are not legit.

 

[avw]

1 hour ago, So Cal John said:

It all sounds very similar to our Celebrity experiences.

 

Regarding taxis in Amsterdam, I read an article recently about getting from the airport into town.  Be sure to use the taxis at the taxi queue. Do not take a taxi ride from someone who approaches you outside asking if you want a taxi.  They are not legit.

 

I found an article written by a local person who said that the route 397 airport express bus service might be the best option for some people. It sounds quite easy to take, very reasonable in price and the stops are convenient to many hotels (that are not close to the Central Station). I am staying at the Marriott and the bus stops one block from the hotel. If my plan to use only carryon is successful, I plan to use this bus service to get to the Marriott.

 

Here is a link for info about the 397 airport bus service: 

https://www.travelguide.amsterdam/en/publictransport-gvb/airport-express-bus-397/ 

If you know about where your hotel is, you can enlarge the map in the link and zoom in to see exactly where your hotel is in relation to the bus stop.

This second link has a list of a lot of hotels near the bus stops, but the list isn't complete (e.g. Marriott isn't on the list despite being just one short block from the bus stop.)  https://tulipfestivalamsterdam.com/traveling-with-the-amsterdam-airport-express-bus-397/